2015 saw a great deal of new social media platforms rise, fall, and smolder in their own rubble. Many of these tragic cases didn’t even rise high enough to attract any significant attention. Lo and behold, we’re still waiting for the next revolutionary development in the world of social that will assuredly shake the very industry to its core. So, what will 2016 bring us that will challenge, and possibly even replace, our beloved Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram? Here are some hypotheses on what the world of social may present us with in 2016.
BRANCH
Branch is not just your average social content sharing platform. What makes Branch a revolutionary social media concept is its true 1:1 model. For every one of your friends/followers who are looped in on your content, one of their friends/followers (who is not within your social network) will also see what you’ve decided to share. That’s right! There’s no need for privacy settings within Branch. Every post will be randomly shared out across concentric social circles far beyond your own, increasing the overall impressions of each of your posts and ultimately garnering more exposure for each piece of your content you choose to share. But wait, there’s more! With Branch, you’ll be forced outside of the comfort of your carefully crafted social circle. Why? The creators of Branch want to return us to a time when our actions carried consequences and we were held accountable by others. By Branch-ing out, you’ll be urged to recall the vulnerable openness of truly human exchanges! In short, Branch will remind folks that they’re not the centers of their own universe, the reality of which we expect to pleasantly surprise the network’s users. Knowing your audience just got a little trickier!HONK
It’s no secret that everyone loves to share a piece of their mind in the social sphere, but just how factually accurate that piece is, however, is an altogether different matter. Honk offers users a chance to urge their fellow human beings to reconsider their confident diatribes about why T Swift opted out of Spotify, whether or not Adele’s “Hello” can really quell family disputes, and the like. Honk is strictly about providing a fact-checking service via the myriad users actively Honk-ing at one another. The best case scenario might involve a user being relieved of a misconception and directed, politely and patiently, toward the fact of the matter, but, as we’re all well aware, honking in traffic is hardly ever that productive or constructive. However, should a user get a bit of social road rage, other users will be absolutely entitled to Honk at a misguided Honker, correcting that individual’s misconceptions or bad facts whenever they should present themselves. It’s all about keeping the waves clear of misinformation and, in turn, providing folks with the most accurate, fact-based truths, rather than a sea of increasingly polarized opinions. Honk if you’re right!TROLLIO FROM HONK
Sick and tired of people Honk-ing at you when you were, in fact, correct, or at least when it comes to light that they weren’t? Well, now, thanks to Trollio from Honk, you can exact vengeance by way of a companion social platform designed by the people who might bring you Honk. Trollio gives users the opportunity to challenge unruly Honkers to a Trollio duel, during which an affronted party and a misguided individual are engaged in an antagonizing battle of wits. Once entangled in a Trollio duel, the instigator will write an initial post, and then each party will go back and forth (within a 15 second time cap, so the duel of trolls will look something like a disgruntled park bench chess match). A duel will go on as long as it has to for both parties to experience reconciliation, or at least for one party to be outmatched and leave. Despite the best efforts of the folks who may or may not design Honk, there will inevitably be false accusations and a general misunderstanding of what the platform is designed to accomplish (i.e., the sharing of better, more knowledgeable and accurate information). In response to this certainty, Trollio will serve as an in-app companion platform, checking and balancing the whims of Honk users everywhere. So, if you’re going to Honk, you better be prepared to troll for your life!There you have it. 2016 might well be filled with new, wonderful and even more improbable social media channels than ever before. It’s the future, after all, and, as such, it’s inherently uncertain, but amongst all of that unknown is an almost infinite plethora of potential just waiting to be realized. So, for those of you who are already at the edge of your seats awaiting Branch, Honk, and, most fervently, Trollio from Honk, we wouldn’t recommend holding your breath, but you just never know, now do you?
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